The only WGC title of Steve Stricker’s career came back in 2001, but he may only have himself to blame after finishing second to Tiger Woods at Doral 12 years later.
Of course, Tiger Woods had a phenomenal record on the Blue Monster course during his career.
Advertisement
Woods won four times in 11 starts at the venue, which will return to the PGA Tour for the first time in a decade this week and host the Cadillac Championship.
He finished in the top 10 nine times.
How Steve Stricker helped Tiger Woods secure victory at Doral in 2013
Stricker’s only top three finish at Doral came in 2013, when he finished second to his good friend.
It turned out that Stricker had helped Woods on his putting – specifically, his posture – on the Wednesday before the tournament began.
Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR
Woods had gone into the week having finished tied for 37th on his previous start, at the Honda Classic.
Advertisement
Woods went on to thank Stricker during the trophy presentation. He was subsequently asked whether he believed he would have won had he not received that advice.
“I would like to say I probably would have, but …” he said, as reported by ESPN. “I’ve been putting at home and it just still hadn’t felt right. I still was a little bit off. He basically got me in the same position that I was at Torrey. So once he put me in there where I felt comfortable, I said, ‘Well, this is not too foreign. This is what I was a month or so ago.’ And I started rolling it and it felt really, really good.”
How Steve Stricker reacted to finishing second to Tiger Woods
Stricker finished three shots ahead of Sergio García, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, and Adam Scott. Nevertheless, he was able to see the positives in the outcome.
Advertisement
“At times you kick yourself,” Stricker joked. “He’s a good friend. We talk a lot about putting. It’s good to see him playing well.”
What, in hindsight, made the result all the more agonising for Stricker was the fact that he would not win again on the PGA Tour.
His 12th and final victory came the previous year at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
But of course, he would go on to be prolific on PGA Tour Champions, winning seven majors. He also led Team USA to a record victory at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
So it is hard to imagine that the result at Doral 13 years ago continues to sting.
Read the full article here
